SAMARKAND, October 17. /IA "Dunyo"/. The Ambassador of the Uzbekistan tourism brand in the UK, Sophie Ibbotson, shared with "Dunyo" information agency her comments on the work of the anniversary 25th session of the UNWTO General Assembly, which opened on October 16 in Samarkand:

- There are two reasons why the 25th UNWTO General Assembly is important for Uzbekistan. Firstly, representatives of tourism administrations from all over the world will gather here. This gives Uzbekistan the opportunity not only to contribute to international tourism policy, but also to shape it for the next two years.

Another reason for the significance of this event is that Uzbekistan had the opportunity to demonstrate its hospitality in the direction of MICE tourism. MICE is conferences and events within business meetings. This is not a form of tourism that Uzbekistan has developed in the past, but it will develop in the future. We can show that Uzbekistan has all the capabilities and specialists to hold high-level events, and encourage organizers from all over the world to plan events in Uzbekistan.

The attractiveness of Uzbekistan for tourists from the EU is that for them it is a new, exciting and quite exotic destination, but at the same time it is very safe and accessible. This balance of qualities makes this destination desirable to visit. Of course, these are not all qualities; the fact of the huge variety of tourism products is attractive. We know about the Silk Road attractions, natural sites, public places, and I am very glad that the UNWTO General Assembly is going to celebrate the "Best Tourist Villages". This is a great new destination for Uzbekistan that allows international and local tourists to interact with the villagers and their way of life.